Midsummer brings much fun to the City of Toronto including the annual festival hosted by the Toronto Chinatown Business Improvement Area. This is the 22nd annual Toronto Chinatown Festival and the theme for this year is the "Eight Immortals" with their secrets to nature. The festival takes place on the southbound side of Spadina Avenue between St Andrew Street and Sullivan Street from August 20-21, 2022.
"Lü Dongbin (呂洞賓) – a scholar and poet considered to be the leader of the Eight Immortals.
He Xiangu (何仙姑) – in the modern context generally seen as the only female of the group, often depicted holding a lotus flower.
Cao Guojiu (曹國舅) – related to a Song dynasty emperor before he became an immortal.
Li Tieguai (李鐵拐) – associated with medicine and easing the suffering of the sick and needy, identified by his iron crutch and Calabash bottle.
Lan Caihe (藍采和) – originally pictured as female later developed an ambiguous or more accurately, a “transformative” gender and is considered the patron of florists and gardeners.
Han Xiangzi (韓湘子) – a flute artist.
Zhang Guolao (張果老) – a Taoist symbol of longevity.
Zhongli Quan (鍾離權) – associated with death and the power to create silver and gold, often depicted holding a fan."
This event, like too many others, took a hiatus during the peak of covid precautions but is back over the two days to share the culture of the Chinese with performances on several stages, food vendors, dragons and lions along with parades and family activities.
